Broken Bonds
by RageMore61
Summary: One fateful night a death and tragedy broke apart friendships and destroyed budding love. With pain comes a crusade for revenge in all it's absolution. Trust long gone, and faith in humankind erased, she left her comrades and reunited with her kind. Now accepting the truth of it all, there is no peace among Faunus and Human. They were at war now, and she had chosen her side.
1. CH 1 Betrayal

**Chapter 1 Betrayal**

"They've been sighted." The radio communication broadcasted into the ear pieces that belonged to all ten of the operatives, they were all hidden up on the rooftops of the city as they surveyed the area. Their identities hidden underneath hooded cloaks, it was cold out. They were waiting and stalking their prey, they had been tracking them for years now and they were finally closing in. The ten man squad awaited further orders from their mission leader patiently, apprehension filling the night air. The squad looked up to their commander, it was hard to miss her since her cloak stood out more amongst the black cloaked Beacon Operatives.

The leader of the squad was covered by a simple yellow cloak, she stood at the edge of the rooftops, staring straight ahead in the direction communication advised where they've sighted the enemy. She thought to herself if she was truly ready for this, if this time she really did have the strength to stop this. For a moment she wondered if this was even the right choice to have been entrusted this kind of mission given the circumstances, but she couldn't question the headmistress. If the head of Beacon Academy chose her to do it, then it has to be the right thing to do. There was clearly no one else who could handle it. She had to believe in this, there was no time left.

Now was the time.

It was time to face the demons of her past, it was time to face the White Fang.

The squad leader held out her arm towards the right, a sign for the squad to disperse and advance towards the enemy's direction. As they zipped by her and leaped from rooftop to rooftop ahead of her, she stared up at the night sky up to the shattered moon above, she was never the praying type but in this moment she prayed that this mission will turn out exactly how she pictured it in her head. Fast and painless. It was the little strength she needed to push herself off her feet from the rooftop and follow her squad close behind, her yellow cloak fluttering in the air with each massive leap she made.

* * *

 **Inside Beacon Tower…**

Cold blue eyes stared out through a window, the tower allowed her gaze to overlook the city of Vale from afar. She knew the mission had begun, there was only going to be a few mere hours until this pursuit ended and finally bury this for good. With eyes closing shut, a deep sigh escaped her, the idea bringing her a strange kind of relief. Relief that it was ending, and relief that it was being taken cared of by someone who she trusted with her life.

A faint light sparked behind her, an incoming call she was sure. She turned away from the window and approached her desk. An image of the contact appeared in the middle of her office, a hologram to be more specific. "Hiya, Weiss!" She was greeted happily by a young woman who was waving at her excitedly.

The woman named Weiss stood behind her desk and smiled, even in hologram she could feel the others energy. "It's good to see you again, Ruby. How fares your mission in Vacuo?" She greeted back, always thankful to hear from her old friend.

"Oh you know… Same thing different day, lots of butt kicking. It's all in a day's work for a Huntress." Ruby joked, a bright smile on her face, she had not contacted Weiss for a few days now and was also happy to see her. Even if it was through holo-communication, this was the closest thing they could get. In reality they hadn't seen each other in the flesh for about six months now since Ruby's departure. Sometimes Weiss regrets sending her off to that mission in Vacuo, but it couldn't be helped. Numbers couldn't lie, and Ruby was the only one perfectly qualified for the job. It would have been absurd to have chosen someone else.

Despite the distance they have, Ruby being away on dangerous missions in far off kingdoms and Weiss running Beacon Academy they always found a way to make time for each other to catch up, be it by scroll or by hologram communication. It was always good to know how the other was doing, though this time Weiss knew it was more than just Ruby checking in today, "I'm sure you're calling for more than just idle chit-chat." Weiss casually addressed the elephant that was in the room, she knew exactly what the second reason for Ruby's call was and Weiss was ready for it.

"Nothing ever gets past you, Weiss." Ruby changed her mood to a more serious one, she cleared her throat and brought hands behind her back as she stood straight. "Rumors have been floating around Vacuo among the Hunters and Huntresses that the Golden Flame of Beacon had left on a mission in Vale…" She started carefully, preparing herself to ask the question that had been eating at her all day, "Is this about the White Fang?"

"Yes." Weiss answered simply as she sat down comfortably in her desk, hands clasping together on top of it. She readied herself to hear Ruby's plea on the choice she had made to conduct the mission, and the individual she had chosen to assign it to. She can already guess what Ruby would say in protest of her decision, given how overly protective Ruby was.

Though to her surprise, Ruby hadn't protested against it entirely, but she still voiced her concerns about it. "Are you sure that she'll be okay?" The hologram flickered slightly, as if responding to Ruby's worry. Though it could also be the bad reception Vacuo had, it was extremely far away from Beacon Academy after all.

"You do know who we're talking about, right? She's the strongest of our ranks besides you, and her abilities are exceptional to put it mildly." Which was still an understatement, but Weiss was not one to put too much praise on someone no matter who it was. Especially on someone who already had an over indulgent ego, the Golden Flame was already a hot head.

Ruby shook her head, "That's not what I meant. Forget her performance, and abilities. I'm talking about her feelings, Weiss." She specified, making sure her point was made. Her tone became stronger and stern compared to her overly cheery voice as she spoke. "After everything that's happened in the past, if the mission is successful…" She struggled to put it in words, she bit her lips anxiously. Not able to comprehend how any normal person would feel about something like this. "No one would come back from something like that without some damage to their Aura." _'To their very soul…'_ She thought dreadfully.

Weiss stared down at her clasped hands; she understood exactly what Ruby was trying to say to her. She stayed silent, letting the tension in the room subside.

Ruby let out a sigh and continued to speak, "I'm not questioning your judgment, Weiss. I know you had your reasons for choosing my sister for this… All I ask of you, no matter what happens after the mission, please support her and protect her while I'm away." She begged, she would let the subject rest for now and placed her trust on Weiss to keep her promise.

"Of course I will, Ruby." Weiss finally brought her gaze up to Ruby's, determination filled her blue eyes. "I have grown to love your sister as she was my own, I will keep her safe until you're relieved from Vacuo." Which she even did not know when that would be, Vacuo has been having massive Grimm attacks and had requested for back up from Beacon. Ruby had been the back up as well she was given the task to investigate where these large masses of Grimm were coming from, but there yet have been any concrete results. With Ruby away from her sister it was only normal to worry for her, and Weiss swore that she will have Ruby's sister safe and sound for her return.

This gave Ruby some peace of mind, with that being said she bid Weiss goodnight. "Let me know how it went, even its good or bad. I want to know how the mission ended." Weiss complied and agreed with the request before ending communication.

Once the image of Ruby faded away, Weiss laid her head on her arms resting it on top of her desk. She hoped her decision was the right one, she had made so many mistakes in the past during her younger days as a Huntress in training. She refused to make any now in the position she was in, of being the Headmistress of the Academy, not only that but as well a friend. There were times the two would conflict, and sooner or later it will become problematic.

Weiss leaned back in her seat and turned her chair to view outside the window again, staring straight over to the far off city of Vale, "Please be alright…" She prayed silently.

* * *

The squad made it to a loading dock area; this would more than likely would be the White Fang's suppliers meet up spot. They stayed out of sight within the shadows and observed, just as their leader had instructed. This was the perfect opportunity to gain some intel before apprehending them, it appeared that they were loading up various items. There was Dust, and weaponry among other things that were being loaded up on boats and air ships alike. She wondered if they were preparing for some kind of journey, if this was the case, where exactly are they heading that they needed that many supplies?

She analyzed the surroundings, as well as the enemy guardsmen. She noticed that their White Fang uniform has changed through out the years. Previously they all wore simple hooded white robes, nothing fancy. It seemed they have gone through some upgrades. They now wore white armor over long black robes, but it seemed light plating for comfortable movement and enhanced their agility. Black and red patterns decorated the armor plating, the logo of the White Fang was designed on to their chest. The image of a roaring fanged beast along with its claw marks. The only thing that has not changed were the Grimm masks they wore, they sponsored the image of Grimm to be the mascot for their terrorism. She could almost hear the voice in her ear as she remembered the words, _'The masks are a symbol. Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters.'_

It was a brief and short flashback, but it was enough to bring her resolve down slightly at the memory of that conversation. She had to pull herself together, she was on a mission after all and her squad was waiting for further orders. It didn't seem like the object of her flashback was among the guardsmen, but she wasn't going to lower her guard.

She gave the signal for five of her squad members to attack, the White Fang had not expected an ambush but responded quickly. They fired their guns and drew their swords, in that instant the rest of the squad jumped in for backup along with their yellow cloaked leader.

Shots were fired from her fists while she was airborne, landing a few hits on White Fang members, once she landed a group of them closed in on her quickly ready to bash her head in with maces, but she wasn't worried. She waited at the last second they swung for her head and she forced her body to radiate with aura and sent a flaming shock-wave around her, pushing the enemy on to their backs.

Her form was still burning brightly, the tips of the flames coming off her shoulders and hands licking at the air, ready to burn another victim. She positioned her arms into a boxing stance, more enemies were heading her way. She dodged a bullet that zoomed past her head, it had torn through the edge of her hood. She barely dodged it, but gladly responded the gun shot with her fists. She punched the air and a loud bang erupted, a blazing burst of fire came flying out of her fist and connected to the White Fang member's head, it was an easy target.

Fighting was a dance for her, she loved close courters combat and enjoyed feeling fists connect to bones she'd soon break or burn with her gauntlets. More rounds were fired from her fists, not missing once. Not ever letting a single shotgun shell go to waste, always made her shots count. Of course she'd use her own fists against her enemies, again, she enjoyed the feel of bashing someone's face in. She chained combos together on each White Fang member that was stupid enough to come at her, she uppercut one of them so hard that they flew up in the air, giving her a chance to roundhouse kick them to their side. The kick sent them flying out into the waters of the docks.

She brawled against three members at once, she was pretty much toying with them. Dodging their weapons expertly, getting them to hurt one another without her even using her fists. She then landed two jabs on the enemy and kicked them aside while she dodged a sword that almost pierced her between her eyeballs, she ducked away and grinned wildly at her next victim. Her gauntlets roared another round of shots, finishing the White Fang member off. The third one stood before her in slight awe, soon fear took over and surrendered by dropping his weapons. "P-Please, not in the face!" He begged mercy. "Anywhere but the face!"

She cracked her knuckles as she approached him, an evil grin was visible underneath her hood. "You asked for it, buddy." She fired her gauntlet to boost the momentum of the swing for her fist, the punch flew fast and hard. She punched him straight in his stomach, causing him to pass out instantly due to the sheer amount of pain he couldn't handle.

One by one they fell before her, it only took five minutes for her squad and herself to beat the daylights out of them, some of them were unconscious. Others weren't so lucky, but this normal routine during these types of missions. "Tag 'em and bag 'em." She ordered her squad, "Take the survivors prisoner and order a convoy to pick up the supplies, we'll be confiscating all of that Dust and weaponry." She finished her orders and was thinking to herself how boring this mission had been.

' _Looks like this was a dud.'_ she thought to herself that Weiss really needed to get more reliable sources. Sure, they had managed to capture and stop a group of White Fang from doing whatever it was they were doing, but it was not exactly the objective of the mission. She had psyched herself out for nothing…

She watched her squad handcuff some of the surviving White Fang members, not a single one of them had been the one person she'd been order to execute on sight. To her it had been a relief, yet she still felt disappointed. _'Maybe it's just not meant to be.'_

She shook her head and rid herself of her own thoughts, she had to focus and see to this mission to an end. All of the prisoners were restrained and accounted for, all they had to do now was wait for the convoy to pick up the confiscated items and they would call it a night.

 _Swish_

Something pierced the ground by her feet, it appeared to have been an arrow. Her eyes widened when she looked at the arrow closely, the base of it was flashing with a light and it was beeping softly. As if counting down for something, when she realized what the count down was for she quickly brought her arms to guard her face and tried to jump away from it. A bright flash blinded her, a loud ringing in her ears that had almost caused them to bleed of how loud the bang was. The arrow had detonated into a large explosion, she was too late to avoid it's blast that now had consumed her body.

The squad had yelled for their commander and leader, they couldn't see any traces of her through the thick smoke the bomb had left behind. They were certain the blast had got to her, if the ribbons of shredded yellow cloth that floated in the air were any indication. One of the squad members looked towards the direction of where the arrow had come from, "Who dares attack our commander?!" They yelled outraged, hungry for vengeance for their fallen leader.

A shadowed form stood up top a large stack of cargo crates, it still held the bow that shot the explosive arrow. It stood there unmoving, staring down at their enemy as if they were nothing.

One of the Beacon operatives stepped forward and pulled back their hood, revealing enraged green eyes that stared up at the attacker. It was a girl, her skin was pale and her shoulder length hair was a midnight blue color, her asymmetrical bangs framed her slender youthful face. She might have been too young to even be here, possibly not even in her twenties yet. "Who are you?" She demanded, her teeth bearing into a sneer as she drew her weapons out from underneath the black cloak. Her fists were brandishing dual silver gauntlets, she cocked them by pulling both arms into a punching motion. She was readying a shot for the bastard that had attacked. Outraged that her mentor-someone who she knew was the strongest close quarter's combat specialist-was taken out so easily by only one enemy. "Answer me!" She roared.

Silence.

The dark silhouette tilted their head to the side curiously at the display of the enemies' weapons and battle stance, seeming to be intrigued by the young girl once she had drawn out those familiar gauntlets.

The sky began to rid itself of the clouds, with the moon now visible, the light revealed the attacker's appearance before the shaken Beacon Operatives. Their attacker was certainly female, long wavy black hair danced lightly along the night's wind. Though her face was covered by a Grimm mask that only covered her eyes and nose, her mouth was still exposed, regardless of that the woman kept silent.

This mask seemed unique compared to a regular White Fang member. Her mask was white and molded to form the image of an angered cat, the ceramic mask was marked with thin black and red designs to both sides of it's face. At the very middle of its forehead was a Japanese Kanji in red for the word seven. The mask was elegant and it was noted that it was crafted with care.

Her frame was slim but fit given the way the light armor hugged her body. She wore a black vest that was made out of hardened leather which covered her chest protectively, except the material did not cover her entire abdomen. Her navel was visible and kept pale fare skin exposed there. The only way the vest was clinging to her torso was the straps that wrapped around her neck firmly, and laced around her hips by the same type of leather straps. Her left arm was covered by a white cloth like a long sleeve, but it did not connect with her vest at all. The sleeve was strapped to her arm by the same leather material of her chest piece.

Her right arm was not covered by a sleeve, it was completely bare with her forearm decorated with black laces that were half-hazardly wrapped around it up to her wrist. Completing the attacker's armor was her lower half, which was covered by form fitting black pants and as well a pair of knee high combat boots. Draped over the left side of her hips was a white cloth, the length of it reached down just beside her knee, imprinted on white fabric was the White Fang's emblem in red. Wearing it as if it was a flag, and it was obvious that she was proud to promote the White Fang.

The young girl was very certain that she was faced with a White Fang elite of some kind, soon her mind went into overdrive the more she stared up at the masked woman. _'Could this be our target? If so, that could only mean one thing…'_

Right in that moment of realization six others emerged from behind the masked woman, as if the very shadows curtained away to reveal them. All six of them wore the same mask as the woman, though each of them had a different Kanji on their foreheads. Each of them numbered from one to seven, they stood side by side each other in formation.

' _It was just like the reports read, our target consisted of seven ruthless warriors that were all feline Faunus.'_ She summarized in her mind, swallowing nervously.

They were about to face the White Fang's strongest attack force: The deadly seven, Shadow Fang. They were lead by their strongest swords master of the group, 'Seven.' Who also originally founded the group, and quickly raised up the ranks. All seven of them were unidentified. No one knows their real names, just their numbers, and no one had ever once seen their faces unmasked. Not even among their brethren.

This was going to be one hell of a fight without their commander, without her mentor.

Before her and the rest of the Beacon Operatives squared up for the incoming fight, they stopped when light foot steps were heard from beside them.

Brown boots crunched against the asphalt, each step strong and deliberate.

"Stand down, Ash." She commanded the green eyed girl.

Emerging from the still smoky crater that was left by the powerful explosion was their commander, her step was cocky as she strutted past them. They watched her in silence, shocked that she had survived.

Hips swaying tauntingly as she drew nearer to the seven warriors, her body still smoking from the blast she had taken full force previously. Her yellow cloak was in tatters and dirtied with burn marks and scorches, but it did not appear that she had sustained any damages physically by the way she stopped in her steps and stood tall before the deadly seven confidently.

Ash stared at the back of her mentor's head, she did what she was told and stood behind her. She hoped that her fiery teacher wasn't planning on taking on the deadly seven by herself, _'I wouldn't put it past her if that's her intention…'_ Yet she still relaxed herself, relieved in knowing that her mentor was alive and unharmed. Though it really should not have surprised her, after all it is the Golden Flame of Beacon they were fighting along side with.

"So it _is_ you." The resurrected commander said softly, but it was loud enough for the leader of the Shadow Fang's cat ears to hear it. She probably intended it for only her to hear it.

Seven stared down at her, silent and unmoving like a statue. It was hard to tell what her expression was underneath that mask, but it was certain that it remained emotionless.

The yellow cloaked commander grinded her teeth at the lack of response, she thought maybe Seven did not recognize her. Noticing that she still wore her cloak and her hood was still hiding her face, she decided to remove it. Pulling the torn up cloak from her shoulder, she ripped the entire cloak off her body. The cloth tore and fluttered away in shreds, revealing burning crimson eyes.

Long flowing blonde hair cascaded down her back, gloved hands adorned by yellow metallic braces that soon shifted and clicked, transforming into powerful gauntlets.

She rolled her shoulders, working out the stiffness the explosion had given her. Now with the cloak off her frame, she felt like she could breathe again. Her clothes were undamaged by the fires, not a single smudge was on her. Her clothes consisted of a brown sleeveless jacket that was fully unbuttoned, showing off her neck, which was adorned by a silk black ribbon wrapped around it securely. And as well underneath the jacket she wore a tight fit yellow tank top that barely kept her breasts restrained; the tightness of the shirt was exposing her bare abdomen. Finishing her appearance, lower down around her hips she wore a studded belt that had an orange bandanna attached to it, she wore tight fitting black pants which one of its legs was tailored short to only reach up to her thigh. Covering the visible skin of her leg were orange stockings that covered just below the knee, and just above her cab where her high top boots reached she had a lilac colored cloth tied around it.

Though impractical, this was the way she preferred to dress, it allowed her comfort and relief during combat since her powers cause immense heat to her course through her body.

The left side of the jacket showed her emblem imprinted on it as well, a burning heart. The outfit was almost reminiscent to what it use to be in her younger days though more matured.

Eyes narrowing behind her mask as she witnessed the human that stood before her, Seven clenched her jaw tightly at the very sight of the woman, but she still kept silent and remained still. Not allowing herself to show a single hint of emotion. She had to be grateful she wore a mask at all times.

The blonde woman grinned up at her, asking the silent question with her still burning red eyes. _'Recognize me now?'_ She questioned in her mind amusingly, but when she didn't receive acknowledgement or any kind of reaction from Seven her grin slipped.

This wasn't what she had imagined, she had always thought that once they finally faced each other. Once Seven had seen her, she would spring to action and fight against her without a single thought. It would have been so much easier that way, if they exchanged fists, just raw violence among warriors, no thoughts or emotions to get in the way. But she received nothing, all Seven did was stand there. That damn mask staring back at her, she couldn't even see her eyes with it on. Not a word was spared to her, just numbing silence. Was that really all she deserved?

Was she being ignored?

One of the Shadow Fang members, Five, stared down at the defiant woman before he gave his leader a curious glance, "Do you know that human, Mistress Seven?" He asked in wonder.

She did not answer his question, Seven did not even bother to meet Five's gaze. She had no reason to answer or to even explain a thing to her subordinate, she instead glanced to her left where Six stood near her. She nodded her head to him, wordlessly communicating her orders.

Six understood and bowed his head obediently to his leader before turning to the others, "We're retreating." He stated with finality to the rest of the group, making sure his gruff voice held their leader's authority in it.

The rest of the group bowed their heads, understanding the orders given. Though Three was a bit disappointed and whispered behind her mask about how she thought they had finally found some action.

As the deadly seven turned away from their enemy, the commander of the Beacon Operatives blazed up with fire. Her body burning brightly with intense Aura, "You're not going anywhere!" She yelled angrily at the slowly retreating back of Seven, completely shocked with rage that the deadly seven leader was walking away from her so casually. "You can't run away forever, I won't let you this time!" She vowed, her fists began to shake at her sides with the building up anger within her when her words fell on deaf ears. They were about to fall back, and the thought of losing her again caused an emotional reaction to erupt.

The name resonated loudly as it tore out from her throat, a name she had not said out loud for so many years. The sound of it ripping at her throat almost broke her own heart as she screamed it, " _BLAKE!_ "

Seven stopped in her steps, her back still turned to the screaming blonde woman. A silent sigh escaped her lips, she had forgotten how persistent Yang was. She will not relent and face her, no matter how much she screamed. There were more pressing matters to attend and she was not about to get into a fight with her. Seven activated her own Semblance and wrapped the dark Aura around herself and the rest of her group.

Before Yang could react, the black energy dispersed and the deadly seven were gone without a trace.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey peeps, this was a quickie, to inspire me to write She Burns, which there will be an update on it soon. As for this story I just uploaded, not sure where I'm going with it but I like it so far. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews please, thanks for reading! :)


	2. CH 2 The Pursuit

**Chapter 2 The Pursuit**

There was just no way that they disappeared, it was impossible. It had to have been a trick, to make her think that they were gone. Last time she remembered Blake's Semblance was to create shadows of herself, this disappearing act must be some kind of shadow illusion as well. The deadly seven may just be ahead of her running, but not too far off from her.

If chase was what Blake wanted, a chase is what she will get. Yang was not going to let her off that easily, she was going to catch her by any means necessary. "All of you stay behind, that's an order." She instructed her squad, she didn't want any of them to get involved in this. In fact, Yang didn't even want a squad to begin with. Bringing them with her was such a waste of resources when she could take care of herself, but Weiss had convinced her to take a handful of newly graduated Huntsmen and Huntresses with her. For a learning experience, which was a lie, Weiss did it because she was concerned for Yang's safety. Though it only slowed Yang down in her opinion.

Then there was the additional trouble in her squad, "Especially you, Ash." She added, not turning to face her young apprentice. Her gaze was aimed straight ahead as she spoke, and announced her disapproval. "You weren't even supposed to be here, we'll have a long talk when I come back, kiddo." It wasn't her style to be the scolding adult, but she would figure something out once business was done with.

Ash was about to protest and request her mentor to allow her assistance, but Yang had already blasted off over the cargo crates where the deadly seven stood, and disappeared.

The young apprentice let out a deep sigh, and came to terms that she was in big trouble. But what frustrated her was that her mentor had not spared her a single glance at all. Something wasn't right, the way Yang had acted towards the deadly seven leader. She had never before seen so much rage and emotion from her teacher. She always held that smiling façade, and kept up false cheerfulness.

It was something that was completely out of character for her, she wondered if there's more to it to this mission than just taking care of the White Fang pests.

She replayed the scene in her head, the name her mentor had howled in rage still fresh in her mind. "Blake… Why does that name sound so familiar?"

 _She was tired of all these classes, and was bored beyond logic of these beginner missions. She and her teammates could complete them with their eyes closed, she was leagues beyond tedious work. Grimm killing was fun and all, but she needed something new. Better thrills, something adrenaline pumping! She was on her way to her mentor's office to ask her for any higher ranked assignments she and her team could take on. Reaching her destination she stopped herself from knocking on the door when she heard voices coming from behind it. She focused on the words, she couldn't help but to listen what they were talking about. Ash recognized one of the voices to be her mentor, and the second voice was undoubtedly the headmistress of the school._

" _Just dropping by to see how you were doing." The headmistress said, a slight worried tone in her voice. She was concerned for Yang's state of mind after the mission briefing from yesterday, she couldn't imagine what her friend was thinking, or how she was feeling._

 _Ash listened attentively, she could see the grin on her mentor's voice as she spoke, "Don't worry so much, Weissie. I'm doing just fine, just your average mission, yeah?" Her voice was carefree and cheery like always, she was trying very hard to show the headmistress that she was completely okay even though there were some doubts in Yang's heart about the whole situation._

" _You are really alright with taking this mission? It is a huge burden, Yang. Why I am asking you again if you are sure about this, I would understand if you would like to be relieved of this mission and I can find another veteran to carry it out." Weiss reassured, she really wanted Yang to say no so that it would ease her own mind. She half hoped that Yang would change her mind about this, Weiss would have been happy with that all the same. Even though she secretly wanted Yang to do it, her name was on the top of the list for eligible candidates and she frankly did not trust any other Hunter or Huntress with this mission given the level of urgency it had. Regardless, her friend's well being was far more important than mission priorities._

 _There was a brief moment of silence, before a soft chuckle escaped Yang. The giggle was airy and light, as if it was a school girl who had laughed. This made Weiss glare at her, a bit irritated that Yang was finding this discussion so funny, "Care to share the humor?"_

 _Yang held a dream like stare, she appeared to have been in some kind of trance as she stared off into space. "You remember that time we ate noodles together during the Vytal Festival?" She reminisced, "Ruby and I stuffed our faces, and you barely ate anything. You were grossed out and said that the food was too greasy. And Bla- She…" Yang stopped herself from saying that name out loud, but even so her smile spread wider at the mention of their old friend. "The look on her face when the shopkeeper served up a bowl of fish for her, it was too priceless." She finished the memory; it warmed her heart remembering the good old days they had back then._

 _Weiss found herself smiling with Yang, the two of them dwelled on the bright past of their teenage years. If only for a moment of repose, just a moment to escape the harsh reality the current present held for all of them._

" _I sometimes wish we could go back…" Yang admitted, her voice became soft and quiet._

 _The headmistress frowned, she didn't say anything. She didn't have the heart to tell Yang that nothing will ever be the same that the past was only that… The past._

 _Ash did not know what to make of the conversation she had overhead, but she knew that right now was not the time to visit her mentor and decided to leave. She was now very curious even more now about her teacher's and headmistress' past, what kind of relationship they had. She always thought it was odd for the headmistress to always be around her mentor, but she never had the chance to ask her about it. They were always too busy training, and she was an overly eager student so it never came to mind until now._

 _ **A day later…**_

 _Ash found herself digging through books in the school's library, she should be in class at this time but she thought this was more important. Besides, one day of skipping class wasn't going to hurt anyone. Though her team mates will more than likely scold her the second they find her, but that was something to worry about at a later time. Ash had spent a whole hour trying to find records of past students and teams that have been enrolled in the school before her; she had eventually found a school year book among the many shelves in the library. The book was worn, and a bit dusty. It appeared as though no one had ever touched this book for a very long time._

 _Taking a seat, Ash opened the book and flipped through the many pictures it had. There were so many teams, it would take her forever to find her mentor in all of these pictures. She came to realize she didn't even know what her mentor's team name was, she really should have asked. "Okay, here goes nothing…" She went back through pictures six years back, that would be the proper time frame her mentor would have been enrolled to the academy at the age of seventeen._

 _There was team CRDL, team JNPR and team CFVY. Ash was momentarily shocked to see that one of the members of team CFVY was a Faunus with rabbit ears, "That's right… Back then the Faunus were accepted into the academy." She remembered, still the idea of that happening in the past was hard to believe. She continued on with the task at hand._

 _Many more team pictures after, page after page, Ash's eyes filled with wonder as she went through more pictures of these teams, a whole generation that came before her. They were all so different compared to what the current generation was, there was just something about them that was much more colorful and full of life. In all of these team's eyes, there was a certain fire of hope and determination in them._

 _It shouldn't surprise her, back then… they were only at war with the Grimm. Now in these times, they were at war with both Grimm and the Faunus. Today the student's eyes were not filled with hopes, they were filled now with coldness. The kind of cold one has after experiencing the harshness of war within their walls, many lives have been lost._

 _Ash paused on one of the pages of the book, a team picture caught her eye. "Team… RWBY?" She read along the names of each team members out loud, "Ruby Rose, THE Ruby Rose?" She had heard stories from her mentor, about a powerful scythe wielding Huntress. The Bloody Rose of Beacon, which had brought many victories against the Grimm. Who would have thought that the legend was such an innocent looking girl back then. To top it off she was Yang's younger sister, both sisters were amazing Huntresses in Ash's opinion. She wondered what Ruby looked like now, this legendary Huntress was never around Beacon much. Despite her mentor always talking about her, she never showed her pictures of Ruby. There were days that Ash could tell that her mentor missed her sister dearly by the way she talked about Ruby._

 _She went on to the next name, another surprise as she stared at the picture more. "Weiss Schnee, whoa… That's the headmistress!" She practically shoved the book into her face to take a closer look. In the picture young Weiss looked indifferent, that has not changed. Ash always thought the headmistress had a standoffish attitude, but she had subtlety to it now. The same white hair and striking blue eyes… Ash thought to herself that her teammate really did resemble a lot to the headmistress. 'It's pretty much a given…' She continued on with the book._

" _Yang Xiao Long…" Eyes widened when she recognized the blonde hair and bright lilac eyes, it was her mentor in her younger days there was no doubt about it. She could see the sunny disposition in the picture, though something was different. Compared to what Yang was now, one would think that the girl in the picture and her weren't the same person. The smile was real in the picture, but in real life the smile seemed always forced and overdone._

 _Though now it was starting to make sense, why the headmistress and her mentor seemed so close. They were in the same team along with the legendary scythe wielding Huntress. She didn't think she'd find this much information on her mentor, it felt like she knew her a bit more than ever before._

 _She briefly thought about finding out what this new mission her mentor was assign to, it must be something big if even the headmistress was having second thoughts about going through with it. Given the possibility of the mission being high risk, she might just have to leave her teammates out of it just this once._

 _Now the fourth and final member of the team was next, curious to see if she would recognize them. They were probably another famous Hunter or Huntress. She wouldn't be surprised at that, the team was over powering so far._

 _She hummed in thought, "Hmm, Blake Belladonna?" She's never heard of the name before, she looked at the picture again and noticed that a piece of the picture was torn off. She couldn't see the face of the fourth member, "What the-That's beyond weird..." There was no way this was an accident, someone had to have torn the picture. If that was the case, why would anyone do such a thing?_

Ash snapped herself out of her flashback.

"It can't be… There's just no way…" She whispered to herself in disbelief.

* * *

Shot after shot, Yang sped up her movements as she dashed up and over the buildings. The blast she had taken before had activated her Semblance, she absorbed the impact to power herself up. Using it to gain speed as well was one of her many skills she had acquired through out the years, and it was useful now more than ever if she wanted to catch up.

Even without her Semblance, will alone would have fueled her and spurred her on like a madwoman. Nothing was going to stop her, and she will make sure to finish this mission off. She was the only one who could do it, she'd rather die then let someone else take this on.

Yang sensed that she was getting close to her target, she jumped down to the streets of Vale and slowed her pace to a steady jog. She looked around to be certain that there weren't any stray civilians, so far the coast was cleared. Normally the streets would be cleared out at this late night, there was no need to hold back.

She took a sharp turn to an alley way and stopped, she had found them again. It looked like they were waiting for something, more than likely for their extraction. Yang wasn't going to let them, the Shadow Fang had brought too much trouble in Vale for some time now. Not only that, they have taken many Hunters and Huntresses lives. Yang momentarily reviewed the information she had learned of the Shadow Fang from the mission briefing, Weiss was very peculiar in providing the proper documentations on the enemy.

The Shadow Fang were mainly responsible for several attacks during raid missions against the White Fang, it was as if they knew exactly where they would be and when they would have strike. They have also stolen from their armories and taken precious rare Dust vials from them, adding to their arsenal to use against Beacon and the rest of the Hunters' allies. They have even gone as far as to getting Grimm into cities around Remnant as warnings to cease further pursuit of them and the White Fang. They issued kidnappings of humans and Faunus alike, any Faunus not joined up in their crusade of becoming the superior race would be re-educated to see their twisted ways. Planning and executing destruction of symbolic monuments, disturbing the peace and crashing public announcements of known politicians and governors.

Random acts of terrorism ordered by the White Fang, and lead by the Shadow Fang as its directors.

If humankind were to ever stand a chance against the White Fang, the first step would be to eliminate the elite along with its leader.

This was the first time in years that they have finally got a head start on the deadly seven, now is the time to gain a win against the White Fang. It was Yang's responsibility, it wasn't just about her issues with her former partner. This was bigger than the two of them, and she will not let her emotions get in the way.

This is war.

Seven sensed the familiar presence again and turned to face her past for the second time tonight, she had suspected that her illusion would not trick her opponent. Though she still wanted to avoid a fight, they had not planned on running into a veteran Huntress like Yang Xaio Long. There was no guarantee that all of her group would be able to handle her, even if they attacked at once. Only way out of this is if she herself took on Yang, she was the strongest one of the group.

She threw her bow aside, and Six caught it for her. "Mistress Seven, you shouldn't dirty yourself fighting this human."

Seven was still ever so silent, but Six took a hint. If their leader was ready to fight, there was nothing they could do but to watch. Besides, this was about to be a short fight. It will end before their transportation even got here, might as well sit back and relax while they waited. It was a rare treat to witness their leader in action. The rest of the group were bewildered by the way their leader was taking over against an enemy, One was watching her intently, the others might not see it. But she could see that Seven was somehow different, there was just something she couldn't comprehend.

Two and Three were talking amongst themselves, placing bets on how long the blonde human would last. Two placed bets on 10 seconds, but Three scoffed at him. "Oh please, I say less than five seconds." Her sadistic chuckle was muffled by her full face mask.

Seven reached back for her weapon, it was strapped to her lower back with the hilts sticking behind her hip. She had two swords tied behind her where they were tipped sideways slightly, a much easier position to access her either one of the blades. One sword had a red ribbon attached to its hilt, the second had a white ribbon.

Yang aimed a strong glare at the masked Faunus leader as she took a step forward, "You done running away now, _Kitty_?" She taunted, cocking her gauntlets as she took a defensive stance.

She did not respond to the comment, even though such a pet name diminished her standard. Seven fluently unsheathed her sword, revealing the sharp yet black blade, the white ribbon attached to its hilt waved at the sudden motion. The weapon looked like a simple katana at first glance, but upon closer inspection there was a trigger built into the hilt and the blade itself had discreet gun barrel openings crafted on it.

Yang noticed that this wasn't the same weapon she had wielded in the past, _'What happened to Gamboul Shroud?'_

Even her fighting stance was not the same, the way she held her sword was not the way Blake wield it in the past. Yang felt a dull thud inside her chest, she tried to shake it off but it was hard to avoid it. Suddenly feeling longing, and regret. Deep down inside, she hoped that Blake also felt this way too. That she didn't want to fight anymore, that she wanted to come back… If she said that to Yang, she wouldn't hesitate to give her a chance. How she wanted so badly for things to be different, how much she missed her partner. How much she missed her friend.

' _Don't do this.'_ Yang swallowed down the lump that was in her throat, she clenched her jaw tight and squeezed her eyes shut. They were burning with tears, but she held them back. She was trying to convince herself that she shouldn't feel this way, this was a mission and Blake-No, Seven… Seven was the enemy. _'Just_ _ **look**_ _at her!'_ Her resolved screamed in her mind, she forced her eyes open.

The more she stared at her, the more Yang realized that Blake didn't exist anymore. Who she was facing now was someone she didn't know, and soon… Seven will cease to exist as well. By her own hands, she'll kill this cruel shadow that was once Blake.

With a powerful battle cry, Yang dashed forward and threw a fiery right jab. Burning crimson eyes widen when her fist only met air, _'She's fast!'_ Seven had dodged it by simply tilting her head to the side, the movement seemed so natural. It was almost like she didn't even try.

Yang had left an opening for Seven to swing her sword into her side, she quickly flipped her body over Seven's head, using her left hand to land on the ground and pushed herself up to her feet. Her boots slid against the gravel, leaving a faint mist of dust at her heels. Before Yang would even blink Seven was already at her throat, the blade almost slid her neck open before she ducked away from the strike. It was a mistake, she had no time to dodge the next blow. Seven turned swiftly kicked Yang across her face, a loud crack resonated from the impact.

Yang's vision blurred for a second at the sudden pain, but she took it and absorbed the impact to add to her own strength. She ignored the trail of blood that came down from her slit cheek, she hadn't remembered the last time someone had landed a heavy hit like this.

Seven swung her sword again, only this time she shot numerous rounds of bullets from the blade. Yang blocked a few of the shoots, but one of them hit her in the shoulders. Luckily it was only a graze, anywhere closer and should have lost mobility in her right arm. Seven was trying to take her arms out so she wouldn't be able to use her gauntlets, that Yang had easily found out and knew she had to be more careful now.

She needed to find more room for herself, the cramped up space of an alley way was providing to be more of a trap for her. She jumped high and over the building, Seven met her half way up in the air.

Yang brought her fists up again and fired a few rounds, not letting up for a second. Seven merely dodged the projectiles while airborne and even sliced a shot in two that came at her.

The two of them landed on top of the rooftops, and stared each other off.

The rest of the deadly seven had joined up with them there in the sidelines, not wanting to miss any details of the fight. Two and Three were still holding on to their bets, they decided to bump up the timer for the brawler. A bit impressed that she lasted this long so far. "Round two now, I give her 60 seconds." Two placed his new bet, giving the bare handed fighter some credit. Despite her being a human, she was proving to be tougher than she looked.

The two of them fought for longer than 60 seconds, it was a whole five minutes into the fight. It was like an endless dance between the two of them, Seven gracefully attacked Yang with a flurry of strikes with her sword, one handed at that. Yang was bobbing and weaving between each strike, and had even blocked a few of the blade's slashes with her gauntlets. Though she was quickly losing her composure, she had not landed a single hit on the cat Faunus and she was starting to wonder how strong Seven really was. It felt like she was being toyed with, every time she moved to punch and kick her opponent it was as if she was moving in slow motion. Seven hadn't even used her Semblance, not once. Yang couldn't read her at all, that damn mask was in the way. What was Seven really thinking?

Yang growled in frustration and went for an uppercut, she was going to knock that mask off her, hopefully along with her face too.

 _Clank_

' _What?!'_ Yang's attack was blocked, her gauntlets connected with Seven's sword. The sound of metal meeting metal echoed loudly at the impact. Not only was the attack blocked, it was deflected causing her fist to bounce back over her head and staggering her arm at the harsh force.

 _How did you think I would feel  
Throw me aside again  
How did you think I would feel  
I won't let you hurt me again now_

She felt the sword pierce through her flesh, warm blood seeped out of the now open wound. Seven had long ago pulled back her sword, whipping it at her side to get some of the excess blood off it.

The way she fights, it was perfect and accurate. With the added agility it was near impossible to find an opening for Yang to use against her, in a fighter's mind she knew that Seven could have mortally wounded her at any moment. Here she was now, kneeling down clutching at her bleeding stomach. The wound was very deep, it managed to pierce her all the way through her torso to her back. There was no way her Aura could heal it in an instant, and she had lost a lot of blood already. She was quickly weakened enough that she wouldn't be able to use her Semblance again, she was beaten.

Her eyes went back to their normal lilac color, though now hazy. She brought her gaze up at her opponent and was yet again shocked to see Seven's back turned to her again, cleaning Yang's blood off the blade and sliding it back to it's sheathe.

 _I'm nothing to you I can see  
Just walk away from me  
I'm torn up but I can't believe  
You sat and watched me bleed_

An airship had come, it was hovering close to the rooftop, waiting for the Shadow Fang group to board it. It was time for them to leave.

Yang fell forward, now lying on the cold concrete ground. A small pool of blood forming around her, she was losing consciousness quickly at the loss of blood. But she kept her eyes on Blake's back, something else shattered within her, it wasn't anger this time. She couldn't figure out this feeling.

 _How could you do this to me  
Betrayed by my closest friend  
How could you do this to me  
I won't let you hurt me again_

One by one the deadly seven walked by Yang, they were making their way to their transportation. She could faintly hear the muffled voices of Two and Three arguing, Two was demanding his pay since technically speaking he had one the bet. The six of them were already boarded on the airship, they waited for their leader patiently.

 _I am the waiting one it seems_

She walked away from her, each step Seven took resonated loudly in Yang's ears. She reached out her hand for her, but it trembled for a moment before falling back on the ground. Yang felt the dull thud in her chest again, she balled her outstretched hand into a fist and pounded it down against the concrete.

Yang's cheek was pressed against the ground, her teeth were bare as she grinded them against each other in her fit of fury, but the sneer was slowly turning into quivering lips. She bit at her bottom lip until they bled, she wasn't going to cry.

Deep shallow breaths now, as Seven left Yang's eyes grew heavy and now all she could see was darkness. She faintly thought that it was no different than seeing Blake disappear again…

* * *

"The mission was a failure." The second in command of the mission reported.

He informed the headmistress of the current situation, it had been a few hours after they've found their commander unconscious and transported her back to Beacon for emergency care. There was no trace of the deadly seven, and all they could bring back was a handful of captured White Fang members and confiscated supplies. As well he added that a student had come to the mission unauthorized. At this the headmistress could already guess what student it was that had done such an insane action.

Weiss stared down at the paper work on her desk, she should have seen this coming. If anyone was responsible, it was her. She should have never let Yang take on the mission, and now her friend was hurt lying in a hospital bed. "You may go, thank you for reporting in on behalf of Xiao Long." She dismissed him formally, the operative saluted and existed the office. She didn't need to look over the papers to know what had happened, Yang hesitated and Blake did not.

How was she going to explain this to Ruby? Was Weiss' first thought, but for now she set that concern aside. She was faintly wondering where Blake was heading to now, it had taken them years to get a trace on her and now the former teammate was on the run once more. And Yang… _'I can't imagine what it was like to face her again, to fight your partner as an enemy.'_

The next time they get Blake on their radar again, a different approach will be needed.

For now all of her attention was on Yang, she left her office and made her way to the infirmary.

* * *

Ash was sitting by Yang's side, she had not left her mentor's side for a minute. Seeing the strong and powerful fighter like her mentor be beaten and unconscious was strange, she had never thought she'd see her in this state. "I should have gone after you, I'm sorry." She whispered softly to Yang.

The door opened and Ash brought her green eyes to greet the visitor she had been expecting, or well, half expected. She had thought the headmistress would get here first, but it seemed that the clone beat her to it. "Snow Weiss Schnee… Ain't it past your bedtime, princess?" She smirked teasingly at the girl, knowing full well that her teammate detested being addressed by her full name.

Snow rolled her icy blue eyes at her friend, not caring to retort back to the tease. "You're a reckless leader, you know that… Right?"

Ash shrugged and waited for the scolding from her friend to complete her night.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wooooo, yay for sleepless nights. Lol if there are any many mistakes in this chapter I apologize in advance, I was falling asleep in and out while writing this. I'm super happy for the positive feedback on the first chapter and also the favorites and follows for the fic. Please leave more reviews, I would love to know more of what you guys think about this chapter. Promise more answers to come to the many questions I'm sure you all have about 'what the hell is happening.' Stay tune for the next chapter!

Song lyrics used for Yang getting stabbed was The waiting one by All That Remains, which inspired the scene for me to write.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own song or RWBY


	3. CH 3 Wounds

**Chapter 3 Wounds**

Snow took her gaze off Ash for a moment and finally saw their teacher laying bed unconscious. She can already imagine what Ash must be feeling, seeing her mentor in this kind of condition. What on earth could have been so strong to take out one of Beacon's most talented and strongest Huntress so easily? _'I'd hate to see the other person's state.'_

It was fairly late at night, even majority of the staff and visitors of the infirmary have retired to their dormitories. It almost surprised her to see Snow standing there, being watched under those icy blue eyes. Though she should have known better, rumors spread like wild fire around Beacon.

Everyone had heard about Beacon's Golden Flame return from a mission severely wounded, and in critical condition. Ash was sure Snow had found out and was the first one to march here to the infirmary to find her, with a list of questions no doubt. The more she stared at Snow she started to remember back to last semester when it was the start of everything, how she and Snow had met for the very first time on that fateful day of initiation.

 _The Emerald Forest, ever still infested with Grimm. She had made her landing into an open meadow and she took in her surroundings, no trees were around near her at the time to cover her presence to the flying fiend that was circling high above her head. The next thing she knew she had been caught by surprise before she realized what was about to happen, the winged creature struck her and knocked her down heavily with its wing as it swept down her._

 _Ash's arm had been injured to the point of not being able to move it, more than likely fractured. There was no way her Aura could keep up with the healing process, there was so much her Aura could do. She was kneeling on the ground, the Nevermore was about to swoop down again, this time with its sharp talons drawn out. Readying itself to rip her apart. It was rapidly diving down towards her, and all Ash could do was sit there frozen as reality hit her. She was going to die, this was the end and her days as a Huntress in training were over before she could even begin._

 _In that instant a bright flash blinded her, when her vision cleared a large floating pattern hovered in front her as if it was protecting her. The symbols moved and turned as it casted a spell, glowing with a bright Aura as it did so. It had shielded her from the Nevermore's attack and caused the Grimm to be pushed back by its magical force._

 _Ash blinked her eyes several times, trying to get rid of the left over white spots in her sight. "A glyph..?" She recognized this form of attack immediately, someone had casted it and saved her life. Just as she realized this, a figure appeared and stood tall before her._

 _She started by the white knee high boots, their heels tall but thick to be able to move in them through battle easily. Legs clad in tight white pants, one thigh fastened by a leather belt that carried a pistol holster by its side. ._

 _Slowly Ash gazed upwards to witness her savior's face._

 _It was a girl, and Ash was taken aback by her appearance. Long flowing white hair danced in the light breeze of the meadow they both stood in, which had a single braid to the right side of her hair. Skin delicate and pale white for it to even be natural, there was not a single blemish on her face. One would think she had never seen the sun before._

 _Her chin was tilted upwards with poise and confidence. The way she stood and carried herself screamed that this girl was raised with specific manners, as if she was some kind of aristocrat. Ash's savior stood and gazed down on her with the purest blue eyes she had ever seen. Though those eyes held a strong icy edge to them, Ash still felt warm relief that this girl had saved her life._

 _The girl was dressed in an all white tailored tailcoat; it was fitted to her tightly to show off her feminine figure. Attached to both sleeves of the coat were matching in color leather belts that wrapped around her upper forearms. The coat was designed with blue elegant diamond patterns at the edges of its sleeves and down the row of its buttons. Along her right arm light armor plating protected her shoulder; the silver plating as well had thin swirls and diamond patterns crafted into its metal._

 _Ending down at her arm was a black leather glove that covered her hand completely which held a rapier sword at her side. The rapier was forged entirely of silver as well, it's guard crafted elegantly with the same diamond patterns on it. Along the blade as well shared the same craftsmanship with the thin swirls that traveled along its edge._

 _The coat was partially open to reveal a button up blouse that was fastened by a red vest underneath it. The blouse's collar was folded neatly down, but parted enough to expose a slender neck that was covered with a black lace choker. Its pendant crafted as a snowflake emblem, one that Ash recognized instantly._

 _The snowflake was the mark of the Schnee Family._

" _I will not allow a careless and weak amateur like you get in my way." The girl dressed in white said flippantly before turning her back towards Ash. Keeping her focus on the still airborne Nevermore, "If you are intending to be my teammate, I suggest you perform with a bit more…" She paused momentarily in her words, trying to find the correct phrasing she was looking for. "Grace." She finished, bringing her rapier up to prepare herself for an attack._

 _Snow Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Daughter to Winter Schnee, current owner of said company. And niece to the headmistress of Beacon Academy, Weiss Schnee._

Soon after they fought off the Nevermore, they met up with the third addition to their team and completed the initiation. They passed with flying colors and Ash was dubbed leader of the first ever team of three in Beacon. Which was a minor miscalculation, not many students had enrolled for Beacon this year, and they ended up with one off number.

But the first few minutes of being paired up with Snow was more challenging than the initiation itself. Snow was a very frigid girl, very blunt and distant. It was hard to work with a snow storm like her, but eventually as time went on during the first semester that snow storm had become a gentle winter breeze. Ash and Snow had become closer than ever, and as a leader Ash couldn't ask for a better teammate to be apart of team ASH.

Even if it was still an incomplete team, they were still rising up ranks in their classes regardless of being three in total.

"Is my fearless leader paying any attention to what I am saying? _Ash_?" Annoyed blue eyes were back on her, waiting for a response for the question she had asked minutes ago while Ash was still walking down memory lane.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something." Ash apologized, and stood up from her seat. The two of them stepped outside of the room as to not disturb Yang's rest, her mentor greatly needed it after what's happened tonight.

Once they were outside of the room Snow sighed and repeated herself again, "Why did you run off on a mission unauthorized? If my aunt finds out-Which I'm sure she has already caught wind of this-she may not be so lenient this time." She warned, concerned about the consequences that may befall Ash. This is not the first time she had done such a reckless act, there was numerous times before and had even gotten the rest of team involved on occasion. Depending on Ash's mood. Though now with what's happened, Ash won't be getting just a slap on the wrist and a warning.

Honestly Snow was also worried about the possibility of their team being disbanded if they lost their leader. Two team Huntresses would not work out, and who knows where that would leave them in school. Snow was sure that their third team member, Howlite, would not be happy if something like that were to happen.

Noticing that she was still wearing the black cloak, Ash decided to take it off. Revealing her attire that was hidden underneath it. She wore a tight long sleeve shirt, its color a dark blue. Though the rest of the shirt was a bit short, its length stopped just above her navel, showing off her stomach. Around her neck she wore a lime green bandana like a scarf.

Over the shirt she wore a black vest that was fully unbuttoned, on the back of the vest was a symbol engraved on it, much similar to the burning heart emblem her mentor wore on her clothes. Her wrists were adorned by her weapon that disguised itself as silver cuffs, and hands covered by black fingerless gloves. Finishing her clothes off with dark blue cargo pants that were stuffed into high black combat boots. Now feeling much better with that cloak off her body and threw it aside.

Snow scowled at her, still waiting for some answers. Yet Ash was stripping clothes in front of her, she sometimes forgets how overly confident the girl can be when attempting to show off.

Ash waved a hand about casually at Snow, trying to ease the tension that was growing. "You worry too much. I didn't cause any trouble while I was out there, besides…" She had found out some information she had not expected to run into, which now only led to even more questions. "I felt obligated to go, something else is going on here and it heavily involves both teacher Yang and headmistress Weiss." She revealed to Snow, feeling that her teammate had the right to know that her aunt may be a part of this as well.

Snow gave Ash a questionable stare and looked around the corridors of the infirmary, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation. By the way her leader was acting, this was something of great importance, and if her auntie Weiss was part of the subject she needed to make sure no bystander was around to hear of it. To be cautious that this isn't information others could use against the Schnee family. When Snow was satisfied of the lack of presence in the infirmary she turned back to the navy haired girl. "What do you mean, Ash?" She asked carefully.

She answered Snow with a question of her own, hoping to see if the name was familiar to the Schnee heiress at all. "Have you ever heard of team RWBY?"

For a moment Snow stayed silent and repeated the name to herself mutely, surprisingly enough she admitted to Ash that she had not heard of that team name before. "Hm, so not even you know about that, interesting…" Ash concluded, now she was definitely sure that both teacher Yang and headmistress Weiss were hiding something. If Snow knows nothing of the headmistress' past, there has to be a reason for it. And Ash had to assume it has every bit of reason to be about the deadly seven leader, this sword master named 'Seven'.

"Answer me this Snow, if you can… Do you have any reason to believe your aunt may be hiding some _serious_ baggage from you or maybe even from the Schnee family?" Ash pointed out, trying to see if Snow was suspicious at all of the headmistress.

Snow slightly gaped at Ash, appalled that she would even consider the possibility of something like that. Not only appalled, but offended. "That's absurd, Ash! How dare y-"

"Is there something you would like to discuss with me, Ms. Hart?" Weiss asked pointedly as she walked towards them from down the hallway they were standing in. She had not heard the conversation entirely, but she did catch Ash asking Snow if she truly trusted her and this peeked her curiosity to know what the two students were talking about.

Snow immediately stood straight and bowed her head down, showing her respect towards her aunt. "Headmistress Weiss, we were just discussing future educational plans for our classes that may be beneficial for both the school and yourself." She covered up the conversation swiftly, "Ash was a bit forward in questioning certain decisions you've made as the head of this academy, which I found to be ludicrous, of course!" She hoped to see if that will defuse any questions her aunt might have thought of already.

Weiss looked at her niece for a moment and then back to Ash, cold blue eyes piercing through her. Much like Snow's eyes whenever she was displeased with her over anything, Ash still could not get use to the two of them being so similar. They would be easily mistaken for twins, if it wasn't for the headmistress' scar that marked her right eye and her age.

Ash responded with one of her trademark smiles, trying to act as innocent as possible as she swayed back and forth on her heels with her hands behind her back.

Weiss scowled and took her gaze away from Ash, mentally noting that she will deal with the rebellious student at a later time. She stared back to Snow with a gentler gaze, and addressed her niece more softly. "You know we are outside of school hours, Snow. You may call me auntie Weiss, if you wish. I swear your mother has overly disciplined you." She shook her head disapprovingly, already guessing the many trials her sister might have put Snow through during her childhood.

The comment earned a light laugh from Snow, the sound a rarity to Ash. She never see's the Schnee heiress smile or even giggle over anything, this made Ash wonder if Snow felt close to the headmistress more than just an aunt and niece relationship. That would be no wonder of Snow's reaction when Ash questioned Weiss' honesty with her. Now Ash felt like a jerk for asking Snow such questions.

"Of course… Auntie Weiss." Snow corrected herself and nodded her head in acknowledgement of her aunt's request. Relieved that her aunt had not pushed any questions about what Ash was really discussing before when she had cut in.

Weiss looked at the time on the clock that hanged on the wall beside them, and found that it was past regular curfew for students. "The two of you should go to your dorms and sleep; it is very late and we do still have school tomorrow. I will not tolerate any low performances in my school due to lack of sleep, am I clear ladies?"

Ash hesitated, "But… Teacher Yang…"

The headmistress sighed and smiled sympathically at Yang's apprentice, "She will be just fine, it is Ms. Xiao Long we're dealing with after all. I will watch over her health tonight personally, and you may visit her again tomorrow after school." She reassured both students before adding, "And after your meeting with me, Ms. Hart. We have a few things to discuss…" She was still going to discipline the student for attending a high risk mission unauthorized. Weiss was sorely getting tired of this kid's antics, she was also going to discuss her behavior with Yang when given the chance.

Ash laughed nervously but accepted the Headmistress' orders to see her tomorrow, yet felt more secured in knowing that her mentor was being looked after. With that she left the infirmary with Snow right behind her.

Weiss watched the two girl's retreating backs until they disappeared from view, still wondering exactly what they were discussing before. Not at all stupid enough to believe her niece's poor cover up. Though she decided to leave it alone for now, if her niece had any worries or concerns she was sure that Snow would come to her about it immediately.

Weiss turned and stared at the closed door of Yang's room, contemplating if she should really visit her friend at this hour. She took a deep breath before entering it quietly to be sure she did not disturb her.

The sight of her friend lying in bed unmoving gave a strange sensation in Weiss' chest. Yang was still unconscious, eyebrows furrowed in discomfort from her injuries. Weiss could see the bandages that wrapped around her arm and up her neck. A white patch covering her cheek. It didn't seem that she was in any danger now, but that brought no comfort to Weiss, she still felt that she was to blame for Yang's current condition.

Weiss took the seat at Yang's bedside, where Ash had sat previously. She watched her friend in silence for a long moment and watched the rise and fall of Yang's chest. She was still checking to be sure her friend really was alive, and the beeping of the heart monitors snapped her from the daze.

There was silence, and ever so often the soft beeps of the heart monitor would break it.

"Honestly…" She finally spoke, her tone soft to the sleeping Yang, as if the brawler was listening to her. "Look at the state you're in, I'm sure you charged in head first without thinking… You hothead." She scolded in a motherly way, her voice still only a whisper as she continued to converse with her unconscious friend. "I can't believe she did this to you, I knew she would fight back but…" Her voice strained and her throat began to tighten.

Much like Yang, deep down inside she had hoped and had wished that things were different. That their lost teammate would have hesitated, or possibly even regret the choices she had made all those years ago. She hoped for any remains, be them insignificant, that Blake still existed.

Now Yang was hurt, she could have died. She could have been killed, and knowing this now left no room for doubts. Weiss squashed those hopeful thoughts and feelings aside, a new resolve taking its place. "She will not get away with this. I will make sure of that, Yang." Weiss vowed as she forced her tears to go away, "She will pay for everything she has done."

Seven will not hurt them again like this, and this was Weiss' own mission now.

* * *

It's been a long night, by this hour she would be fast asleep but she found it hard to do so. She stood up top a ruined building, standing just mere inches away from the edge of the rooftop. Down below was a small campsite, where a small battalion of White Fang members reside. She could see the camp fires burning dimly from her view; she watched them carefully as she thought over tonight's events.

This would be the first work her group had failed. But no matter, things were still going as planned. They will just have to make due with what they have currently for supplies, she and the rest of the White Fang including Shadow Fang have operated in much more worse conditions.

Though there were other things in mind that prevented her sleep, this feeling inside of her was something she could not identify. Or perhaps she had felt it before, and it's been so long that she barely recognizes it anymore for what it is. She stared up at the shattered moon in the night sky, she stared long and hard. Trying to seek some answers from it, a hint.

 _Anything_.

The moon had witnessed all of the things that have happened to this world, everything that's happened to her and to the people around her. It was witness to her happiness, and witness to her despair.

Now it only watches the monster she had chosen to become, watched the monster drown her former self into the shadows. Never to come back.

"Do you ever take that mask off, Seven?" Came a monotone voice from behind her, there was only one Faunus that would regard her so casually. It was One, her subordinate and member of the deadly seven. Éclair, the only name she'd ever bother knowing in the group. And reason being that Éclair is her apprentice and most trusted disciple, the only known cat Faunus out there that shared her Semblance.

Seven looked over her shoulder to acknowledge her, seeing that she was still wearing the Shadow Fang uniform but One's mask was off.

Bright yellow eyes were staring at her with wonder, but her face was still emotionless as ever. Cat ears standing straight, waiting for any responses from Seven. Her hair long and dark, save for a streak of white that ran down the side of her bangs, framing her face perfectly. The smooth light skin of her face was also scarred; a thin line crossed the bridge of her nose. By the shade of pink the scar would be two or three years old now. Seven had trouble keeping track of the years pass since that incident that earned her apprentice that scar.

Éclair gave up on waiting for a response; she and Seven rarely ever exchange words. It wasn't needed, silence was always a form of communication between them. So it never bothered her, but at times she was curious about Seven's past. Being young came with being curious, and nosy like any other seventeen year old.

Éclair briefly remembered the first few words Seven said to her a few years back when she had first met the White Fang. It was desperate times back then, she was orphaned and scavenged for food daily. Yet still starved for weeks and had gone as far as steal food for herself to survive. The White Fang had been the only direction she could go, and when she went to one of their gatherings to be recruited that was when she met her mistress.

Seven's voice was stern and short, she remembered. 'You should be in school.' And that was it. But of course she didn't listen to Seven, she still joined the White Fang and when she displayed her talents in creating shadow illusions of herself Seven took her in to train under her, and soon became One. A member of the Shadow Fang.

Éclair now stood beside her mistress, staring out to the night sky as well. They both stayed there for a long time, just sharing the silence. Though it was clear to Seven that she was nervous, which was only natural. Starting next week she was going on a mission all alone without any support, an undercover mission at that.

Seven at first wanted to protest, but there was no way around it. Éclair was the only one suited for this mission, because of her age and talents. She was the only one qualified to carry out these orders, Seven had to accept it.

She kept her gaze up at the shattered moon, "…You'll be okay." Seven reassured, her voice was a light but neutral.

Éclair's cat ears twitched at the sudden sound of Seven's voice, she had heard her loud and clear but still could not believe it. Shocked yellow eyes were staring at Seven, she had not expected that. She smiled hesitantly as she expressed her gratitude, "Thank you… Mistress Seven."

The two of them stood under the shattered moon and resumed the joy of the night's silence.

* * *

Early morning now, the bright rays of the sun peeked through the curtains of the infirmary room. It had been a day later now since the confrontation between Yang and Seven.

She opened her eyes, and groaned out a bit in pain when she tried to sit up. Deciding that moving was a bad idea she stayed still on the bed, already guessing that she was in the infirmary.

She remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness, the scenes of the fight flashing within her mind. She had lost, and Seven got away.

Yang stared at the white ceiling blankly, a million thoughts going through her head. Trying to define her feelings right now, to figure out where she stands and what exactly she needed to do. She was sure Weiss had already visited her while she was out cold, and may have already started to find another Huntsmen or Huntress to take ownership of executing Seven since she had failed to do so miserably.

"Damn it all." She cursed out loud, her jaw tensing.

She had broken down during last night's fight, she had let herself lose composure even after being pierced by Seven's sword. The stab wound had hurt, but what had hurt Yang the most was seeing Blake again.

She now felt numb and completely empty, more than ever before. To face her former partner in brutal battle-To be defeated with so much ease. The entirety of the fight felt like it was one sided, she was pouring out all of her rage. But Seven's movements were calculative, and indifferent all at once. All Yang did was headbutt with her like a bull, and still she had not once landed a single blow on her opponent. Seven was faster, and she was stronger.

The next thought caused Yang's blood to boil, a wave of rage crashing through the numbing sensation she had before, replacing it with fury at the realization of her own weakness. What she lacked.

Seven was ruthless.

Yes, Yang had attacked with all of her strength against the deadly seven leader. She attacked with fists that were full of desire to hurt Seven, and had full intent to kill Seven as well. Yang's body was ready to execute her enemy; it was set on autopilot to do so. There was neither room nor time to rethink the decision; her body did want to kill Seven. It felt the desire to with so much intensity that it probably burned more than her own aura did when unleashing her Semblance. She lacked ruthlessness. What held her back… was herself.

In the back of her mind, there was a spark of hesitation. Deep inside her seventeen year old self was screaming at her to stop, to not fight and begged to save Blake instead. That this wasn't right, and that it wasn't what they wanted.

Emotionally, Yang hesitated during that fight, and she had to accept these facts. Even if she attacked relentlessly, within herself she was having a different battle of her own. She was not ruthless like Seven, she could never be.

Never will she have the true strength to kill someone she knew, that kind of resolve was unreachable to Yang. She had spent long hours thinking things over while still recovering from her wounds, lying in bed with so much time to kill had made Yang dig deeper within herself and understand why she had lost the fight against Seven. A conclusion had been finally made.

Lilac eyes that still gazed up at the ceiling widened with fear and began to water with incoming tears.

She whispered out the truth to herself, a truth that she had been running from for so many years. "I still have feelings for you." A lone tear slid down her cheek as the words spilled out of her, her chest and stomach tightened as she suppressed a sob. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly as more tears bled from her eyes, now truly feeling what had held her back from doing the job.

She still loved Blake, even if it's Seven now it was still Blake to her. Her heart isn't wrong, she still loved her and there was no way in hell she could ever bring herself to fight Seven again. Let alone kill her. Yang had lost this fight way before she even laid eyes on Blake, and she had not known. Or perhaps she pretended and lied to herself that she didn't know of these hidden feelings.

Even if she had failed and had confirmed that she was unfit to face Seven again, the idea of another Huntsmen taking out Seven just didn't sit right with Yang. It should be the former team members of RWBY. Not some stranger, and certainly not anyone else period.

Regardless, right now there was no point in crying over this. She needed to focus on recovering, the sooner she was out of this room the sooner she'll think things over better. She needed to gain some strength again before seeing Weiss, she can't let her friend see her like this now. "I'm such a cry baby." Yang scolded herself as she wiped away her tears with her good arm.

* * *

She tapped her foot anxiously, apprehension taking over as the elevator neared the top floor of the watch tower. Where Headmistress Weiss' office was located. Ash was not sure what to expect, but she was sure she was in deeper trouble than she had ever been during her time in Beacon.

Snow had wanted to come with her, in case she needed to defend any outrageous punishment the Headmistress might have in store for her. But she denied that, stating she could take care of herself and that she wasn't afraid of the Headmistress. Though as the elevator came to a stop and the soft ding indicated her arrival to the office, she now believed that Snow's idea might not have been so bad.

Ash took a deep breath and willed herself to step out of the parted doors, and into the spacious office. The clock work of the tower clicked and ticket softly as the gears above her head turned and shifted.

The room was painted in several different shades of white and red, the mechanics of the tower's clockwork were black to give it some contrast. Ash had wondered why this place did not look as old as the rest of the academy; it appeared that this area had gone through some specific renovations. The sight was very breath taking for any newcomers to the school, though Ash was not impressed since she had been in this room many times before for past transgressions.

In the middle of the office was a large glass desk, and sitting in the desk was the Headmistress. Busily going through some documents, her blue eyes tracing the contents of each page thoroughly.

Ash took a few more steps forward and cleared her throat, announcing her presence to the working woman in the desk.

Without ever taking her sights off her paperwork, the Headmistress spoke. "Please do take a seat, Ms. Hart." She requested formally.

At this Ash raised an eyebrow, but complied at the request and sat on the chair. She was confused at this, normally the Headmistress would make her stand whenever they have these "meetings". She was wondering if this was a good sign, or a bad one. As of late the Headmistress had become very unpredictable with her, which only concerned the young student even further the longer she sat there in silence waiting for the Headmistress to speak.

Weiss' voice was still stern as she spoke, still not taking her eyes off her papers. "There is no use in punishing you, I am sure you are aware of your… mistakes." She described carefully while signing off on the sheet paper with her pen. "In all honesty, your stunt from last night is actually enough reason for me to expel you as a matter of fact." She finished casually while she flipped through a few more pages.

Ash gulped, and fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably. _'This lady is toying with me now.'_ She thought in her mind undignified.

There was another brief silence, save for the sound of flipping paper that filled the office space. Finally Weiss placed her documents aside neatly on her desk and stood from her desk, she walked around with her hands behind her back. Circling Ash like she was a Nevermore watching its prey squirm.

Ash carefully kept her sights on the Headmistress, taking in the way the woman walked around her. Her hair was carefully braided into a pony tail, though her bangs were left free to cover her forehead. The braided tail was extraordinarily long, the tail reached past her hips.

And it swayed slightly behind her back with each step she took. She wore an elegant white dress, the skirt length ending just above her knees modestly. She wore a short jacket over the dress, the inside of it tailored with red silk, the collars of the jacket were folded back to show off the color more and it was fastened around her neck securely. Though the rest of the buttons were left open, leaving her chest exposed, there in the center of it hung a necklace that kept a small stone pendant.

Ash noticed that on the back of the jacket was the Schnee family emblem perfectly sowed onto the material. Completing the outfit was her white high heeled shoes that clicked against the marble floor of the office as she continued to slowly pace around Ash.

"You will be relieved to hear that I will not be doing such a thing... Not this time." She confessed a small satisfied smirk on her face when she saw the slight jerk in Ash's shoulders. Her voice must have frightened the girl.

Ash sat there, mouth parted slightly as she processed the Headmistress' statement. Trying to understand what it meant, she questioned in her mind if she wasn't in trouble anymore or what. But she stayed silent, not daring to interrupt the Headmistress. She had pushed her luck far enough already.

"The reason for that being…" Weiss continued, stopping mid-step in front of her desk. Making herself comfortable on it and crossed her legs lady like as she took a seat on top of it. "You are going to be apart of a very _important_ and very _delicate_ project." She outlined the words sternly, making it clear to Ash that this wasn't going to be regular school work she was about to be assigned to. Which the student could not make up her mind on whether or not this was a good thing…

"Beacon is welcoming a late enrollee this year." Weiss continued, speaking her words carefully, to make sure that Ash understood the value of this 'project'. "Given the coincidence of your team only having three members in total… I've decided to add this student to your team. Completing it officially into a team of four, as it should be." She finally explained, and handed a folder to the student who grabbed wordlessly.

"Basic information of this student is in these documents. I'm sure you'd like to know every bit of detail of them, since you will be their leader. This new student is highly important, and may bring some attention to the school. Very close attention from society as a whole to be more specific."

Ash was dumfounded and stared at the folder in her hands, flipping through its pages and scanning its contents. Her green eyes practically popped out of their sockets when she saw the profile picture of this new student, and soon to be teammate. "She's…!" Ash struggled with her words and tried to articulate her thoughts. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "She's a… a…!?"

Weiss finished her sentence for her, "She is a Faunus... Her name: Eclair Baroness. The fourth member of your team for the rest of your school years here." A pause before announcing the finalization for this assignment. "A week from now your team will be renamed officially as: Team ASHE."

Ash sat still, stunned at the task she was about to undertake.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello peeps, thanks for the follows and favorites on this story. Super glad some of you liked it enough to do so. As I continue to write this and post updates, slowly but surely the plot is forming in my head more. It's super fun writing this, not gonna lie lol Also I had this in mind waaaay back before RWBY started Vol. 3, way before we had any info on Winter. So it might be weird for some of you at the idea of Winter having a child age around 10 at the time Weiss had enrolled to Beacon when she was seventeen, but that's besides the point! It's just a fanfic in the end anyways haha It's still a slow start for the story, I'm just trying to have everyone get familiar with these new characters I've added in and then work my way to get everything more Yang/Blake centered. So please be patient with it :)

R and R please!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Sorry for any errors or grammar issues. Will try to edit this when I get the chance.


	4. CH 4 Memories Pt 2

**Chapter 4 Memories Pt 2**

A week soon passed since that conversation with the Headmistress. Today was the day they'd meet the new student, how the time went by. Everything was moving so fast for them.

Ash was responsible of informing her teammates of the changes, as a team leader would be. She had already suspected how the two of her friends would react towards the news.

Howlite was more than excited at the prospect of having a complete team, while Snow was a bit suspicious of the whole thing. "I still can't comprehend why my aunt would involve our team in a political agenda." She voiced out her concerns on the matter, it did not bother her in the slightest that their new team member is a Faunus. But what did irk her was the situation they were going to be placed in. Other students may not be as accepting as them, and it will bring unwanted attention.

Ash nodded in agreement, she was as well worried about what this truly meant for them as students of Beacon.

"Well, I think it's awesome!" Howlite chirped in, her bright violet eyes shining as she smiled widely. Her short silver hair swept to the side as she tilted her head at Ash and Snow, "You two are over thinking this way too much. We need to set a great example for our new teammate, and welcome her with open arms. I mean, I can't imagine how nervous the poor girl would be coming to an all human school… We'll be her teammates, her family even. She will need all the support she can get, and we'll give it to her. It's our duty, not to mention the morally right thing to do." She explained.

"Are you sure you shouldn't have been team leader instead, Howlite?" Ash smiled along with her, the girl's cheerfulness was contagious. Howlite was taking this remarkably well, but the girl's thoughts on the situation were simple and logical. She was on the right, Ash as a leader needed to follow Howlite's example and be prepared to welcome the new student to their fold. Even if it was just a political favor, in the end it's for a great cause that might just work out not just for Vale but for all four kingdoms.

The Headmistress had explained that this was a difficult choice she had to make, but concluded in the end that it needed to be done at some point. The people of Remnant have been dwelling in the past for far too long, and have not healed its scars from that incident that happened all those years ago. The day full Faunus rights was to be declared, was the day many humans and Faunus alike have died. It was the largest massacre to occur within the safe walls of Vale, bigger than a Grimm outbreak that happened at one point in the city.

It was the White Fang the cause of it all. Or so the people would say.

Since that day the negativity towards the Faunus grew tenfold, and was stripped of all rights entirely. Most Faunus nowadays are either White Fang members, imprisoned for being accused a White Fang member or of the lower class living in the slums far away from humans. It was an odd time to be apart of this generation, and the three of them were still not certain if this was even right to begin with. They remember how Faunus were treated back when they were younger…. Why the idea of having a Faunus in their team did not faze them, in fact much like Howlite had said before. This was the right thing to do, and it was an honor to be the first few to take part in this great cause to bring back peace between humans and Faunus.

The three of them were gathered up in the Headmistress' office, and were dressed up in their standard school uniform per request of the Headmistress, naturally. The Headmistress wanted to make sure they were up to code, and set the 'proper' example as students to follow the dress rules. Much to Ash's protest on it, she never really did like wearing these uniforms. It felt like she was submitting to authority, and that was something she never liked.

"Stop frowning down at your skirt, Ash." Snow huffed, "You should be use to it by now, honestly." Snow was also wondering if this rebellious child standing next to her should be their team leader at all.

Howlite giggled when Ash's cheeks turned red at Snow's remark, the navy haired girl embarrassed now at the scolding. Ash didn't enjoy the idea of Snow having the last word in and was about retort back but stopped.

 _Ding!_

The soft chime of the elevator arriving to the office halted their conversation, and they waited with bated breath for the door's to part open. The first thing they saw was Headmistress Weiss sauntering out of the elevator, hands behind her back and chin slightly elevated like always. She seemed a bit tense at first, but immediately changed her mood. "Apologies for the delay, ladies." Weiss excused herself politely, she had been exactly ten minutes late. No thanks to Yang, she had not realized she had been caught up arguing with her friend for so long that she had lost track of time.

"Hey, no worries, Headmistress." Ash grinned, "Take all the time you need, the longer away from class the better."

Snow sighed as she covered her face, feeling embarrassed for the team. "Please, disregard my overly vocal leader, Headmistress Weiss."

"I would not say overly vocal…" Weiss narrowed her eyes at Ash, but she let it slide for now. She cleared her throat and addressed the person that was behind her as she stepped aside, "Welcome your new teammate, team ASHE."

Both Howlite and Ash were practically standing on their tippy toes to get a better view of the newcomer as Weiss stepped aside. Snow maintained herself composed, and passive. But on the inside she was just as curious as the other two girls.

The Faunus was of the feline race, furry cat ears adorned the top of the girl's head. One of the ears was actually pierced with a silver hoop ring; Ash had been the one to notice that. Long wavy black hair flowed down her back, a small streak of white trailed down the side of her bangs. She wore a white blouse that hugged her frame perfectly, the sleeves of the blouse were cut open to show a bit of her upper arms. The collar of the white blouse was left undone in a messy manner, exposing her neck entirely which was adorned by a black leather collar.

As an additional accessory, her hands were gloved. And she wore a short black vest over her white blouse, which was buttoned up closed. Completing the attire she wore tight leather pants that were fastened with a simple belt, ending in heeled boots that were laced up just above her cabs. Despite wearing a belt, it didn't seem like she bothered to tuck in the other half of her blouse and let the fabric hang loose.

Ash blinked rapidly at the girl and couldn't help but to think that it should not have been them that needed to keep up with the dress rules… But she admits it now to herself, she already liked their new team member just by looking at her.

"It's an honor." The feline Faunus bowed her head curtly to her new teammates. "I am Éclair Baroness, I'm hoping to better myself in this school along with the team." She introduced herself, her mannerisms almost resembling Snow's. Though, she was by far more stoic than Snow could ever be. Does this girl not use any facial muscles when speaking?

Ash was at a loss at the way the girl acted, nothing in comparison to the way she dresses. What an odd girl…

Snow rolled her eyes at their leader, noticing that Ash had suddenly gone speechless. This would be the second time she had to step in and speak on her behalf, "Welcome to Beacon, we're also honored to have you here with us, Éclair. I am Snow Schnee." She introduced herself as well.

"Hiya! I'm Howlite Stone, nice to meet you." Howlite stepped forward and held out her hand for a handshake towards the new student.

Éclair stared down at the offered hand and blinked at it for a moment, not all expecting such a straight forward greeting. She didn't feel comfortable about this, but she had to keep up appearances. She held Howlite's hand and shook it hesitantly.

Ash had still not spoken, Snow ended up elbowing her in the side to bring her attention back. "Ow!" She hissed in disapproval at Snow, but quickly composed herself and greeted their new teammate as she held her now sore side. "Sup, I'll be your team leader. The name's Ash Hart. Welcome to our team, looking forward to see how strong you really are."

Éclair stared passively at the acclaimed leader, already guessing this girl was all talk. She scanned her from head to toe, analyzing her. An unimpressed expression was now on Éclair's face. This was supposed to be her team leader? Nothing compared to Mistress Seven, the idea of being ordered around by this human left a bad taste in her mouth. Still, she had to accept it, for now at least.

This was all for show in the end, so she had to act the part. Though she could not help but feel that this leader was somehow challenging her prowess by stating she was curious about what Éclair could do. This may not be such a boring mission after all. "I am more than just strong." She replied to Ash, a ghost of a smirk forming on her lips.

Ash arched an eyebrow, sensing the bit of attitude the Faunus had. This might be more fun than she had thought.

The Headmistress shook her head at her students, but decided not to comment on the lack of professionalism. They were still kids after all, she couldn't have expected more than that. _'Ahh, to be young again.'_ She thought wistfully.

* * *

Yang was sitting up in her bed, staring out the window deep in thought. She had a visitor today, Weiss had come over to see how she was doing again. Every day the white haired woman came along, the two of them would fall in such an awkward and heavy silence. They were both beating around the bush. But neither of them would man up and start the conversation the two of them were dreading to have.

Yang wanted to tell Weiss how she was feeling, what she had just discovered about herself. What she was really thinking about the whole Blake situation. She didn't really get the chance to, Weiss had been the one to finally speak of the failed mission. She first explained to Yang how sorry she was, that it was her own fault for putting such a huge burden on Yang. That she couldn't imagine how horrible it had felt facing Blake like that, and even almost getting killed by their former teammate. Every time Yang tried to interrupt her and tell her that it wasn't Weiss' fault, she would get silenced by a raised hand from the Headmistress.

Finally after the series of apologies from Weiss, she had told Yang what would now be the best solution to continue the mission.

She was handing over the bounty mission to Atlas Military Specialists.

That's when the argument began, Yang did not approve of the choice Weiss had made. She didn't trust Atlas Military, not since that incident that happened years ago involving the Faunus. She didn't feel that it was right to send those bastards after Blake after what they did, it was heartless even. But Weiss would not see Yang's side of it, and left the room without another word.

A deep sigh escaped her as she took her gaze away from the window, she was bored out of her mind staying in this room. As well anxious, she needed to find Weiss again and talk things over.

"Good evening, Ms. Xiao Long." The doctor came in and greeted his patient politely, his eyes glancing down at his scroll, looking through the reports of Yang's condition. "Hmm, bullet wound to the shoulder, a deep laceration right through the abdomen…though no vital organs have been damaged. I'd say it was a clean cut, so I wouldn't expect any scarring either. It seems you're healing rather quickly, but that's to be expected since your Aura is very potent and unique." He commented, impressed at the woman's rapid healing process.

"At this rate you should be up and about within two or three days, though during that time we will be monitoring you closely. Just in case of any complications." He closed his scroll once finished with reading the reports of his patient.

"Thanks for the concern, Doc. But I think I'll be just fine." Yang had stood up from her bed, ignoring every word the doctor had said to her. Not giving it a thought as she stripped off her hospital gown and began to dress herself up in her regular clothes.

"M-Ms. Xiao Long!" The doctor blushed intensely and turned around immediately as the woman stripped, letting Yang get dressed in private. All the while she was getting dressed behind him, he tried to feebly protest Yang's early discharge. "I highly recommend you s-stay. You may still be weak, and we have yet to see the full extent of your Aura's healing process."

Now fully clothed, Yang walked by the doctor and bid him farewell with a small wave and a wink. She was striding hurriedly down the hall towards the exit, as she did so she reached up to her face and ripped off the bandage that was on her cheek. The cut there was completely healed no marks were left behind thanks to her Aura, and as well removed the bandages from around her stomach. The stab wound was completely closed, and no scarring just like the doctor had said. Though she did keep the bandages around her arm, it was still feeling a little sore.

She was sure that Weiss must be up the watch tower, no doubt filing paper and reports to send over to Atlas Military. The thought of them yet again angered Yang, her hands balled up into fists as she strode over through the lobby of the school and walked into the elevator.

As she let the elevator carry her up the tower, she was thinking to herself exactly what she was going to tell Weiss when she finally got there. She started to practice her words out loud, "Weiss, you're being an idiot. And I can't let you do that." She said sternly, glaring intensely at the still closed elevator doors, as if she was talking to Weiss face to face. She crossed her arms, and sighed. No, she needed to make her point if she was to make Weiss understand why Atlas Military was a bad idea. She had to be strong and not take no as an answer.

The elevator dinged at the arrival to the top floor, doors parted and Yang stepped out. She was prepared for another round of debating with her friend. "Okay Schnee, this ain't over y-!" Her words died in her mouth and halted her steps when she was met with Weiss' office full. Her apprentice and team were here, why?

Her eyes then settled on the surprised Headmistress, and then to the dark haired girl that was beside her. Lilac eyes widened, she felt her chest tighten painfully at what she saw. The cat ears-those golden eyes-the black and white clothes. In that moment, Yang saw her. The object of her suffering was standing right in front of her. Gambol Shroud strapped to her back, and a small smile on her face. Yang took one staggered step forward, a hand hesitantly reaching out. "B-Blake?" Her voice trembled into a silent whisper.

It took every ounce of her strength not to fall down to her knees.

She had steeled herself with raw confidence to confront Weiss, and in mere seconds she was rendered weak. She felt so disarmed by the sight of Blake.

But just like that, she blinked and when her eyes opened it wasn't Blake anymore. Realizing that, she let her hand drop to her side. It was only a young Faunus that resembled her former partner, if it weren't for the ear piercing and the white streak in the dark hair one would think that this girl would be Blake's twin. Yang regained a bit of her self control back, and shook her head lightly to clear her racing mind. _'What the hell… Am I going insane?'_ And furthermore, what on Remnant was a Faunus doing inside the academy?

"Teacher Yang, are you alright?" Ash spoke up, sensing something odd going on with her mentor. The three other students were also wondering if there was some kind of problem, the way Yang had entered the room looking ready to ring someone's neck and just abruptly stop in the middle of the room staring at the new student as if she had seen a ghost.

Ash's voice broke Yang from her thoughts, immediately she put up a smile and laughed off the initial shock. "Sorry about that!" She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I guess I'm still, uhh…a little fuzzy." Was the excuse she used, and it was a good one because they believed her. She had been in the hospital for over a week. It was only natural to believe that Yang might still be fatigued, especially when she was not supposed to be up and about so soon from recovery.

Éclair did not show it, she had kept her stoic face in place the entire time but in her thoughts she was nervous at the way she had been caught under such close watch. She recognized this blonde woman. It was the fighter that Mistress Seven had cut down the night their supplies were intercepted. By the way lilac eyes stared at her with so much surprise; she had almost believed that the woman had somehow recognized her. But it did not appear to be so.

Weiss noticed the struggle Yang was going through, it didn't surprise her though. She had the same reaction when she first saw Éclair, though Wiess was a bit more discreet about it. She had not intended for Yang to see the new student so soon. It was no matter at the moment, Weiss was now wondering how her friend even made it all the way here. "Should you not still be in bed rest Ms. Xiao Long?" Weiss addressed her formally, she would only do so when they were around students or other teachers.

Yang crossed her arms and stood tall, showing off that she was just fine. "I got tired of waiting." She taunted Weiss with a tight lipped smile.

"Then continue to wait, as you can see…" Weiss' eyes looked over to her students briefly before turning the icy stare back on Yang. "I am busy."

"I see that…" Yang noticed Ash's curious gaze on her, she had not seen her apprentice for some time since recovery. A sigh left Yang's lips as she turned around towards the elevator. "Meet me in my office when you're done, Ice Queen. That's all I ask." With that said she left, ignoring Weiss' protest all the while.

The Headmistress ran a hand down her annoyed face and breathed out deeply, she turned back to her students. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

She breathed in the fresh air, and leaned back against the tree. She had found herself sitting on its thick branch, and decided to relax if only for a few moments. She even had wanted to take off her mask, but decided against it not wanting any risks.

The red pedals continued to fall and flout all around, the crimson colored forest had always been a safe haven for her whenever she needed to think things over. That was one of many reasons why she fancied this place. This was also the place she had gone her separate ways from her previous life…from her past friends.

A sea of pure red, the leaves of every tree here were all somehow the perfect matching shade of red with everything else in this place. Even the grass was tinted with this color. It was only just that this place earned the name that it did.

The Forever Fall.

The wind blew softly, brushing her black hair along with the red leaves around her. She had not come here to think of the past, she had come here to think of her young disciple. She knew today was the day of her first solo mission, and all Seven could do was hope that things are going well for Éclair.

But she began to question herself, what was she truly worried about?

Was it because Éclair being alone on a mission, or was it the fact that Éclair was so close to her past…so close to the Academy? She had spent long moments thinking of this, and trying to figure it out. Memories of her past coming back yet again, remembering the time she had spent with them...

" _You can do it Blake!" Ruby cheered, waiving her hands around excitedly as she jumped._

 _Yang pouted, "Hey! I'm your sister shouldn't you be cheering me on?" She complained, arms crossed as she feigned offense. Blake and Yang had been volunteered to do a race against one another. It was just for fun, and it was also to figure out whose stamina matched up to start planning team attacks in pairs. This was the efficient way of doing so, at least that's what their team leader made it seem like. But they were all pretty sure Ruby was doing it for fun._

 _Blake stretched, loosening up some of her muscles. Once done, she gave Yang a sideways glance. A small taunting smirk formed on her lips; much like the one she gave Yang when they first met during initiation._

 _Yang grinned back and took a stance, getting ready for the count down. Weiss was in front of them, the ice queen simply rolled her eyes at her teammates, "This is just a test, no need to get competitive you two." She reminded them._

 _Blake also took her stance, waiting for the signal to commence the race. "It's no competition anyways." She remarked, keeping herself from laughing out loud when Yang gave her a dumbfounded look._

 _Yang recovered from the snark, an evil grin on her face when an idea came to mind. "Alright, Blake… Since you're so confident, let's make a bet." She suggested, in her head she was hoping her feline friend would take the bait._

 _Weiss sensed Yang's intentions, and tried to stop it. "Come now girls, let's not do bets. This is just to better the team-Girls? Hello?" She placed her hands on her hips and stumped her foot lightly when none of them were listening to her._

" _I can honor a bet, but it won't help you win." Blake agreed, and asked what the risks were._

" _If you win, I get to pay for your lunch for three weeks. All you can eat tuna..." Yang set her trap, and internally laughed when Blake's eyes turned to stars and a small line of drool came down her chin, already enticed at the idea of tuna._

 _Weiss was losing her patience, she was tapping her foot. If they didn't hurry up they were going to be late for class again._

 _Blake wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand and composed herself, her poker face back in place. She was now more determined than ever to make Yang eat her dust, "That sounds reasonable, and what if you win?" She asked, wondering what her blonde friend could possibly want out of this._

" _If I win…" Yang pretended as though she was thinking long and hard of what she wanted, but she knew exactly what she wanted. She kept Blake waiting for a few more moments, and finally spoke out. "You get to read me one of your books." She said simply._

" _Oh for the love of-" Weiss threw her hands up exasperatedly, and began her count down angrily. "Five..! Four..!"_

 _At this Blake arched an eyebrow, crouching down low to the ground when Weiss began counting down. "That's all?" She asked Yang, maintaining her eyes ahead to the horizon._

" _Oh, not even close." Yang grinned wildly as she continued, getting down low to the ground as well in a runner's position and casually said. "I want you to read to me, Ninjas of Love."_

 _Blake's eyes almost popped out of her sockets as she snapped her head to the side to look at Yang in utter horror. "Wh-What?!"_

"… _One! GO!" Weiss finished and signaled for the race to begin._

 _The two girls blasted off in desperate sprint._

The memory was interrupted when she heard something off to the distance.

Her cat ears twitched, right on cue like always she thought. Seven stood up, and walked along the trees branches gracefully with perfect balance. Not a single of her steps caused the branches to neither tremble nor shed any more of its leaves. That's how deftly she could walk. She hopped and jumped on each one until she was high enough within the tree, making sure she could not be seen. She reached up and held onto a tree branch above her head, and leaned back against the tree comfortably.

Along walked Yang right below her.

The other reason why Seven came to this forest, she had been watching Yang for some time now. Could it have been two or three years now? She could never keep track of time anymore.

Though it was only coincidence that Yang as well enjoyed visiting the Forever Fall, of course the brawler doesn't have the faintest idea of Seven's presence every time she came here. Seven had learned to conceal her Aura, and to top it off she was a specialist at spying. Keeping within shadows undetected was child's play. It was not for show that she was the leader of Shadow Fang.

It was odd seeing her, after the fight they had not too long ago. No, she was not surprised to see Yang still alive. Seven knew that she would not die so easily, that's just not how Yang was. Not the type of person to give up.

Despite the current situation of her being apart of the White Fang, being an enemy. She admired Yang's will, and vindication. The raw desire to kill and hunt down her enemies, to hunt Seven down. Ever so often whenever she came to the Forever Fall she watched Yang as she steadily grew stronger and be filled with anger towards Seven. For each crime she did, she came here to the forest to see Yang be filled with even more fury. It was interesting to see how Yang developed her resolve to kill Seven.

Today she was expecting that fiery look in her eyes again, or perhaps she expected Yang to go on an all out rage tantrum on one of the trees. She had fought her after all, and even wounded her badly with her blade. What type of rage she will witness today, Seven wondered.

Seven gazed down at her, using the branches of the tree as cover. She watched Yang walk, but this walk was not the norm. It use to be confident but now it was slow and careful. She walked aimlessly with a strange look in her eyes, the fire in them was completely gone. No sign of anger, no sign of desire to kill.

This was something different, and Seven needed to find out what this was. She could not recognize this expression Yang had on her face.

Yang stopped in her steps, and fell back to lay on the blood red grass with a soft thud. Arms splayed out, she stared up at the sky that was partially covered by the tree branches that provided her with shade. She watched as the leaves flutter in the air lazily, she was tired of being angry was her own thought. Her old feelings made her realize that she was done being so furious, all that did was hide what she really felt.

And that was longing, she had to accept it or else it would eat her up inside. But at the same time, if she admits it again to herself it will be painful and it will certainly prevent her from functioning like a proper Huntress. Why not say it? Test it out, and see how it felt hearing it…

A sigh as she closed her eyes, "Blake…"

Seven's shoulders jerked slightly at the sound of her old name again, she immediately reached behind herself for her swords, expecting an incoming fight. How had Yang known she was here? Before she could draw out her weapon, just as her fingers grazed the hilt Yang spoke out yet again and caused Seven to freeze entirely at the next thing she heard.

"I-I… I love you." Yang whispered with a bit of hesitation.

' _What?'_ Was the shocked internal question inside Seven's head.

Yang opened her eyes again, and took another deep breath as she said it once more with more certainty. "I love you." A brief silence, then Yang cursed out loud. "Damn it." She felt it, there was no denying it now. She covered her face with her hands, feeling heat across her cheeks.

Seven finally understood that Yang was talking to herself and was still unaware of her presence, but regardless, that did not change the fact of what she had just heard loud and clear. Twice no less.

Seven did not know what to think, what to feel. She simply did not know how to be anything at all, so she decided to do what she was best at.

She ran away.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello again my peeps, hope you enjoyed this new chapter. I had to spilt it in two parts else you guys would have had one loooong read lol I'm just trying to keep my chapters at even pages between 10 to 11 pages long. As well She Burns will be updated soon, I came down with a bad cold while finishing it off so forgive me for the wait! Please do leave a review and let me know your thoughts so far on this story.

Promise questions will be answered very very soon on what exactly tore apart team RWBY and what the White Fang are planning

P.S. Apologies for any mistakes in writing will fix when chance given

Thanks again for reading!


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